Roster turnover is only natural in the NFL from year to year. Whether it’s free agency, the NFL draft, or through trades, newcomers are going to be added to each team’s roster around the league. That’s just the nature of the game ever since the salary cap was implemented.
Today, we’re going to look at each team the Dallas Cowboys will play the season and identify the most intriguing newcomer they will face. Some of them are well-seasoned veterans, while others are fresh to the league. Most of these
new additions could impact the game one way or another.
Week 1 & 17 – New York Giants
TE Isaiah Likely
No offense to the fifth overall pick this year, Arvell Reese, but the Giants most intriguing newcomer is TE Isaiah Likely. This is an interesting matchup right out of the gate for Cowboys’ rookie Caleb Downs. Likely proved he has what it takes to be a go-to receiving threat during his time in Baltimore and will likely be a favorite of second-year QB Jaxson Dart.
Week 2 & 18 – Washington Commanders
LB Sonny Styles
Washington signed Odage Oweh to a big money contract to hopefully upgrade their pass rush, but it’s their first-round pick, Sonny Styles, who gets the nod as their most intriguing newcomer. The seventh overall pick this year was continuously linked to the Cowboys throughout the pre-draft process and is one of the most physically gifted LBs we’ve seen in quite some time.
Week 3 – Baltimore Ravens
DE Trey Hendrickson, G Vega Ioane
Vega Ioane, the top-ranked guard in the draft this year, is an interesting candidate to be the Ravens most intriguing newcomer, but not over DE Trey Hendrickson, if for no other reason than the entire Maxx Crosby debacle. Regardless of how that situation ended up turning out, Hendrickson in his own right is a dominant pass rusher worth watching this year.
Week 4 – Houston Texans
RB David Montgomery
Houston upgraded their offensive line (Keylan Rutledge) and defensive line (Kaydon McDonald) with their first two picks in the draft this year, both of which should make an immediate impact. The most intriguing newcomer though is RB David Montgomery. He’s been one of the most consistent, yet underrated, backs in the league and could test Dallas’ run defense.
Week 5 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DE Rueben Bain Jr.
The Buccaneers were surprisingly quiet in free agency and didn’t make any major acquisitions. They did however make several smaller moves, but the most intriguing newcomer came via the draft, Rueben Bain Jr.. Bain was another player link to the Cowboys throughout the draft process and worth keeping an eye on when these two teams play in Week 5.
Week 6 – Green Bay Packers
CB Brandon Cisse
The most intriguing newcomer Dallas will see in Week 6 against the Packers is someone they showed some interest in in the pre-draft process, CB Brandon Cisse. He’ll likely be a full-time starter at this point in the season and will have his hands full attempting to contain CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Ryan Flournoy. Advantage Cowboys!
Week 7 & 12 – Philadelphia Eagles
WR Makai Lemon
Shout out to CB Riq Woolen as someone to watch for the Eagles, but the most intriguing newcomer in Philadelphia is A.J. Brown’s replacement, rookie WR Makai Lemon. Not only is it an interesting storyline about how they traded up with Dallas to acquire Lemon in the draft, but how he’s going to replace an All-Pro after Brown was traded to the New England Patriots.
Week 8 – Arizona Cardinals
RB Jeremiyah Love
There’s only one name that comes to mind as the most interesting newcomer to watch in the Week 8 matchup with the Cardinals, RB Jeremiyah Love. The rookie out of Notre Dame is expected to be a generational type of talent and one of the best running backs the league has seen in some time. He could be a challenge as both a runner and receiver for the Cowboys.
Week 9 – Indianapolis Colts
LB CJ Allen
The Indianapolis Colts didn’t really had any significant new faces in free agency, instead they focused on retaining/re-signing several of their own. Because of that, LB CJ Allen is probably the most intriguing newcomer the Cowboys will face in Week 9 when these two teams meet. Allen was someone linked to the Cowboys throughout the draft process mostly due to their need at LB.
Week 10 – San Francisco 49ers
DT Osa Odighizuwa, WR Mike Evans
The most intriguing newcomer the Cowboys will face in the Week 10 matchup with the 49ers is a tie between DT Osa Odighizuwa and WR Mike Evans. The trade that landed Odighizuwa in San Francisco makes him worth watching due to his past with the Cowboys, and Evans is definitely worth watching because he’s been one of the most dominant/underrated WRs in the league.
Week 11 – Tennessee Titans
WR Carnell Tate
The trade that landed pass rusher Jermaine Johnson is worth mentioning, but the most intriguing newcomer for the Titans has to be rookie WR Carnell Tate. He was arguably the top-ranked receiver in the 2026 draft class and is expected to make an immediate impact in the passing game for second-year QB Cam Ward. Will he follow in the footsteps of former Ohio State WRs?
Week 13 – Seattle Seahawks
RB Jadarian Price
After playing second fiddle to Jeremiyah Love during their time together at Notre Dame, Jadarian Price will likely take over for Kenneth Walker as the Seahawks top running back. He has some big shoes to fill, but the talent to do it. He’ll likely be an integral part of Seattle’s offense and keeping him bottled up could be a key part of defeating the defending Super Bowl champions.
Week 15 – Los Angeles Rams
DE Myles Garrett
There’s no questioning who the most intriguing newcomer is for the Los Angeles Rams. That’s none other than Myles Garrett, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. The Rams paid a hefty price to acquire Garrett from the Cleveland Browns, but this is a potential Super Bowl-winning move that has paid off for them in the past. His addition could even bring back DT Aaron Donald.
Week 16 – Jacksonville Jaguars
G Emmanuel Pregnon
The Jacksonville Jaguars are another team who didn’t make any significant moves in free agency to add any new faces to the roster. That made former Oregon OG Emmanuel Pregnon the most intriguing newcomer to watch when these two teams face off in Week 16. He was one of the top-ranked guards in the draft this year and will be an integral part of protecting QB Trevor Lawrence this season.
